Idents

The dictionary definition of an ident (from dictionary.com):-

In film, idents are usually used to identify to the company that produced the film. For larger production companies, their idents are extremely distinctive. For example, the classic Disney Castle ident:

source: tumblr

This denotes a blue background, with a silhouette of the Disney castle. The words 'Walt Disney pictures' are revealed, and a streak of light appears around the castle. Although this ident is very simple, it very iconic. This ident was used on most Disney films from 1985-2006 [Source: Wikia]. The intention of this ident connotes magic which will appeal to the target audience of children. Also, the castle signifies the castle that's in the Disney amusement parks, such as Disneyland.

source: tumblr

Disney have changed their ident over years, modifying it give a more modern touch. Sometimes Disney have changed their ident to relate to the theme of a certain film. For example the ident for Lilo & Stitch. This ident denotes the classic Disney castle against an alternative black background. A green laser appears around the castle. A beam of green light then appears over the logo, and it rises up. This is meant to connote UFOs and alien life, which relates to the storyline of the film since the lead character, Stitch, is an alien

source: DailyMotion

Lionsgate are the producers of many well known films such as 'The Hunger Games', 'Precious' and 'Now You See Me' [Source: Lionsgate]. The ident is 22 seconds long and begins with cogs turning. The audience are then directed through a keyhole which opens up to denote a bright light. A cloudy sky with the title 'Lionsgate' then appears. Together with the sound of fanfare, this connotes heavenly hope, and suggests that Lionsgate are powerful and almighty.

 


However, Lionsgate use a different ident for their horror movies. This is more relevent to my own work since the genre of my opening sequence is also horror. The design of this ident begins in a similar way to the regular ident, as it denotes turning cogs, however these are darker, and rusted. This connotes abandonement and creates a haunting mood. The doors (also rusted) open up to reveal dark red smoke/clouds. This completely contrasts the regular ident as it signifies hell. The intention of this is to create a scary atmosphere for the audience before the film has even started.


What I've learnt from this activity is that idents do not need to be overly complex, however it is useful to have an ident that will create a certain mood for the film. In my own work I will create an ident that is slightly scary and dark, as it will relate to the horror genre.